Sarah Bonnell School

Health and Social Care

Curriculum Aims

The Award gives learners the opportunity to develop sector-specific knowledge and skills in a practical learning environment. The main focus is on four areas of equal importance, which cover the:

• development of key skills that prove your aptitude in health and social care such as interpreting data to assess an individual’s health

• process that underpins effective ways of working in health and social care, such as designing a plan to improve an individual’s health and wellbeing

• attitudes that are considered most important in health and social care, including the care values that are vitally important in the sector, and the opportunity to practise applying them

• knowledge that underpins effective use of skills, process and attitudes in the sector such as human growth and development, health and social care services, and factors affecting people’s health and wellbeing.

This award complements the more theoretical aspects covered by GCSE Biology or GCSE Psychology by allowing students to apply their knowledge and skills practically in a vocational context.

Approximately 3 million people work in the health and social care sector in health care roles such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, while social care roles include care assistants, occupational therapists, counsellors and administrators. Together, they account for nearly one in ten of all paid jobs in the UK. Demand for both health and social care is likely to rise, so they will continue to play a key role in UK society and the demand for people to carry out these vital roles will increase. Study of this sector at Key Stage 4 will complement GCSE study through providing an opportunity for practical application alongside conceptual study.

Year 10 and 11

Learners are required to complete and achieve all three components in the qualification.

Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Health and Social Care

Component

Component Title

Level

How Assessed

1

Human Lifespan Development

1/2

Internal

2

Health and Social Care Services and Values

1/2

Internal

3

Health and Wellbeing

1/2

External

Synoptic

The three components focus on the assessment of knowledge, skills and practices. These are all essential to developing a basis for progression and, therefore, learners need to achieve all components in order to achieve the qualification. The components are interrelated and they are best seen as part of an integrated whole rather than as totally distinct study areas. Learners will normally take this qualification over a two-year period or longer. This means that they must be given the opportunity to build their confidence in understanding the sector, vocational contexts and vocational attributes over a long period during the course of study before they are assessed. As the interrelated components are not linked to occupational roles, certification is not available at component level.